Fruit grader



Patented June 21, 19 27.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK" W. CUTLER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR T0- CUTLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A PARTNERSHIP.

FRUIT GRADER.

Application filed January 15, 1925.. Serial No..2,684.

My invention relates to fruit graders in general, and particularly to such graders as grade-the fruitby weight. The present invention is an improvement upon that presented inthe Patent No. 1,184,697 issued to me and assignedv to the Cutler Fruit Grader (10., under date of May 23,1916, which patent disclosed a series of pockets conveyed upon. endless chains over a series of weighing devices.v The objectsofthe present improvement is-to provide better protection for the fruit againstibruisingby means of improved mechanism for receiving, the fruit up onithe machineand improved weighing devices that will not bruise the fruit. as the pockets-travel upon and over the weighing devices. Furtherdesirable results will appear hereinaften I accomplish. the above objectby meansof the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are apart of this application for Letters Patent,.like characters of. reference indicating like parts throughout the several viewsthereofiand in which; v p

Fig. 1 isa side elevation of a portion of a fruit grader machine embodying my improvements.

Fig.2 isa plan View. of the subject matter of- Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the'weigh ing mechanism, upon an. enlarged scale.

Fig. dis a side view of the. weighing mechanism. l

Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the" portion of the track. adjacent with the weighing mechanism. v

Fig. 6 isya section upon line. 6-6 of Fig. 3;

The. fruit is conducted to the machine by means of a suitable trough 9, which deposits the fruit into pockets upon a pocketed revolving member 10,.one piece of fruit into each pocket. As this member revolves the fruit is deposited into pockets 11, which pocketsare propelled through the length of the machine by means of chains 12. Said chains may be driven by any of the well known driving devices, such driving devices bein no part of this invention are not shown on the drawing. Each pocket is pivotally mounted upon these chains, and is provided with: an finger 13 which travels upon a track 14,.and retains the pocket in: a horizontal position throughout its travel through the ma;

chinev except when it is dropped by passing over one of the weighingmechanisms as hereinafter described. A guard '15 is provided over the chain sprocket 16 to guide thefingers 13 upon the track lt. Between'the track 14 andsaidguard 15- is disposed a spring supportedtongue. This tongue is pivot-ally secured to the track. 14 at 16, and one portion 17 thereof coacts with the guard 15, and receives the fingers therefrom. The other port1on 18 receives the end of'a spring 19, the other end' of said spring, being supported upon a suitable bracket 20, and thus the spring supports the tongue in a vertically yieldable manner. I Thus as the fruit is dropped upon the pockets from/the revolv- 111g pocketedmember. 10 the tongue is free to give slightly in a: vertical direction by de-.

fiecting the spring 19,. and thus the jar upon the, fruit is removed, and the fruit is not damaged by dropping into the pockets.

It has beenfound further necessary to protect the fruit from damagedue tojars at the weighingmechanisms, and this I accomplish as follows. V V

The weighingmechanism consists ofa substantially rectangular frame 21 with a notch 22therein adapted. to receive the knife edge of a: fulcrum bar 23, which fulcrum bar'i's mounted beneath the'track 14 by means of a suitable bracket'24. To adjust said fulcrum bar vertically so that the same will aline prop.- erly with the track and with the weighing mechanism. 1. provide said; bracket with slots 26 to receive screws 27 threaded into the fulcrum bar 23; By this construction the fulcrum bar may be adjusted. vertically at either end, and thus alined withthe'track and: weighing mechanism.

A basket 28 is mounted upon a frame 29, and is suspended from the frame 21 by means of rings 30, so that said basket hangs perfectly free and without friction that would interfere with the correct. functioning of the weighing. mechanism.

I The, frame 21 extends across the track 14' at. 14:, said depression having an inclined portion 14 down which the fingers 13 travel age to the fruit from jar occasioned by suddendropping of the finger 13 at these points is avoide j V. i

As the pockets 11 pass through the machine the fingers 13 travel upon the-hardened bars 31 as theypass the several weighing mechanisms. At each weighing mechanism a piece of fruit the size desired to be sorted out at that particularweighing mechanism is deposited within the basket 28 as a weight. As the fingers 13 pass over the hardenedbars 31, should the piece of fruit within the respective pocket ll'equal the weight of the piece of fruit within the respective basket 28, the'finger 13 resting upon the hardened bar 31 will depress the latter, and this will allow thefinger to travel upon the depressed portion of the track 14. When such finger 113 arrives at the end of the depressed portion of the track, as shown atl l the pocket 11 respective thereto will drop into a vertical position, and deposit the fruit therein intoa receptacle placed to receive it.

Since the pieces of fruit vary greatly in weight, it is not practical to sort into exactly equal weights, as this would mean toomany grades of fruit, and thus it happens that the hardened bar 31 will sometimes be totally depressed, and sometimes only partially depressed by the fruit that should be deposited into the receptacle'respective thereto. -When the said hardened bar 31 is only partially depressed the fingers 13 would at times bind by sticking against the ed e of the track 14 made by the process of depressing'thatportion of said track, andto prevent this, and

to guide said fingers 13 at this point oftheir travel I provide adiagonally ground knife edge member 3 1, and also point the end of the fingers, 13 as shown at 13* in Fig. 7. The pointed end of the fingers 13 will contact j with the diagonal knife edge of the member 34 and thus be guided either downward into the depressedportion ofthe track 14, or up ward onto the upper surface of the track li to continue their travel thereupon.

Not only does theconstruction described save the fruit from damage by all jars within 7 the machine, but also the weighing mechanism described is extremely substantial and rigid in its construction, is easily adjusted and kept in proper alinement, and is very sensitive in operation. Y

My device may be made ofany size, and constructed of any materials deemed convenient and suitable for a device of this terializing my invention, I wish to include in this application all mechanical equivalents and substitutes that may fairly be considered to come within the scope and purview of my invention as described in the appended claims. I r

Having disclosed my invention so that others may be enabled to construct and to use the same, what I claimv as new, and de- 2. In a fruit grader: a track having a vertic-ally yieldable end portion, and a plurality of depressed portionshaving' inclined approaches thereto, each being for the purpose of preventing damage to the fruit from sudden jars as it passes through the grader;

3. In a fruit grader: a track; a plurality of depressed portions of said track each having an inclined approach thereto; and weighing mechanism adjacent each of said depressed portions.

4. In a fruit grader: a track; a pluralit of depressed portions of said track, eac havingan inclined approach thereto; a ful crum bar adjacent each such "depression;

and a Weighing mechanism supported upon said fulcrumbar. g V j 5. In a fruit grader: a-track; a plurality of depressed portions of said traclg each having an inclined approachthereto a fulcrum bar adjacent each such depression;- a

bracket supporting said fulcrum barin a vertically adjustablmmannerfand a scale device mounted upon said fulcrum bar and having a member disposed adjacent said depression and in alinement with the surface of said track.

6. In a fruit grader: traveling pockets supported upona track; a weighing device coacting with said pockets consisting of a vertically adjustable fulcrum bar: a frame supported uponsaid bar;fand a weight receptacle him from said frame. 7. In a frult grader: a plurality of pockets to receive the fruit; means to move 'said pockets longitudinally track supporting sai pockets as they travel;

depressions in said track; inclined ap-.

proaches to said depressions;- weighing mechanism (IllSflld depressions adapted to through the grader; a

guidea portion of a pocket into the respective depression upon a predetermined weight of the fruit in said pocket; and'an adjustable support for said weighing mechanism.

8. In a fruit grader: travel-ing pockets adaptedto be dumped at predetermined" points 'of their travel; a track to support said pockets, and having a vertically yleldable portion at that endpth'ereoftwheresaid pockets en'ter upon said track, and:depressions with inclined approaches at said predetermined points of dumping.

9. In a fruit grader: a track supporting the moving portion of the grading apparatus, and having depressed portions coacting therewith, each of said depressed portions having one end thereof an inclined plain leading from said track, and the other end thereof being open.

10. In a fruit grader: a plurality of fruit carrying traveling pockets supported upon a track, and adapted to be dumped at predetermined points of their travel; means upon said track to relieve the jar as the fruit is deposited in said pockets; and means H Portland, county of Multnomah, State of 20 Oregon, this 20th day of Feb, 1924.

FRANK W. CUTLER. 

